Kanichi otsuka



May 26, 1931. K. .OTSUKA 1,807,007

STEAM FINI SHING APPARATUS Filed March 5, 1930 Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KANICHI OTSUKA, OF UCHISAIWAI-CHO, KOJIMACHI-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN STEAM FINISHING APPARATUS Application filed March 5, 1930, Serial No. 433,379, and in Japan April 11, 1929.

This invention relates to improvements in steam finishing apparatus, and more particularly steam finishing apparatus in which a steam boiler heated by electric heat is utilized as a lower ironing board, and steam generated in the said boiler is introduced into the steam space of a hollow steam box or an upper ironing board through'a flexible pipe or hose and then is discharged into suits, clothes or the like to be finished on an upper plate of the lower ironing board.

This invention furthermore relates to steam finishing'apparatus having a safety device by which, when the steam pressure in the boiler is raised above that required, automatically operates a switch for controlling the current to an electric heating unit by which the boiler is heated to generate steam, and steam is no longer evaporated.

Heretofore, in steam finishing apparatus, in which the steam boiler is heated by coal or other fuel and is installed separate from the steam finishing apparatus, the steam generated has been supplied from the boiler to the steam finishing apparatus through leading pipes, so that the heat radiated from the boiler shell could not be utilized to iron suits, clothes or the lik'e.

In the steam finishing apparatus accord ing to this invention, the steam boiler heated .by an electric heating unit is directly applied to a lower ironing board, so that losses due to radiation of heat and condensation ofsteam in the leading pipe are avoided, and after finishing suits or clothes and by opening the switch for supplying electric current .to the electric heating .unit, steam is no longer generated and steam economy and heat economy are thereby gained. Furthermore, when the steam pressure in the boiler is raised above that required, the switch to control the electric current to the electric heat unit is opened automatically This invention-is more fully shown in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification, inwhich Fig. 1 is a front view ofthe steam finishing apparatus according to this invention, 3 partly in section.

and the boiler is kept. safe from any damage.

Fig. 2 is a side view partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a detail showing the safety device.

1 is an electrically heated steam boiler of rectangular form constituting a lower ironing board; 2 is an electric heating unit made in the form of a plate or any other suitable form, and attached to the lower side of the bottom plate 3 of the boiler 1. 4 is a cover plate which is connected to the bottom plate 3 by any suitable means so as to hold the electric heating unit 2. Insulators, 5, may be inserted on the upper surface and below the lower surface of the electric heating unit 2, to insulate the boiler 1 and cover 4, from the said heating unit. 6 is the upper plate of the lower ironing board 1, upon which suits or clothes to be finished, are placed. 7 is a hollow steam box constituting a upper ironing board of which the bottom face 8 is formed to register and coincide with the upper plate 6, and has numerous holes 9, to discharge steam from the said box. is a flexible pipe or hose, one end of which is connected to the steam space 11, of the upper ironing board 7, and the other end connected with a stop valve 12. 13 is a hollow boss on the bottom plate 3, which boss projects into the steam generating space'l-l of the lower ironing board 1, 15 a connection piece screwed into the hollow boss 13. through the cover 4 and connected with the stop valve 12. Accordingly, the steam space 11 and steam generating space 14 are connected by means of the hose 10. 16 is a curvcd link which holds the upper ironing board 7, and moves to press suits or clothes on the lower, ironing board 1. The mechanism' which operates to move the link 16 iswell known, so that the details of this mechanism are unnecessary to illustrate here. 17 is a handle to operate the upper ironing board 7, 18 a central support for the boiler 1, and 19 is a base post.

20 is a cylindrical hollow boss integral or connected with a side plate 21 of the lower ironing board or steam boiler 1. 22 is a ring screwed into the boss 20, to form a cylindrical space 23, 24 a movable piston to be reciprocated in the said space 23, the stroke of the said piston being restricted to the space between the ring 22 and the ring portion 25, integral with the side plate 21.

26 is a piston rod, 27 a packing, 28 a gland.

29 is a guide member for the piston rod 26 and is attached to the side plate 21, of the boiler. 30 is a collar fixed on the piston rod 26; 31 a spiral spring inserted between the guide member 29 and collar 30. Of course, the feed water inlet (not shown) is provided in any suitable place on the boiler 1.

Suits, clothes or the like, to be finished are laid on the upper plate 6 of the boiler 1, and after moving the steam box 7 to contact with said suits, the steam generated in the boiler 1 is introduced into the steam space 11, through the valve 12 and the hose 10.

The steam in the steam space 11 is discharged through holes 9 onto the suits, whereby the said suits are saturated by this discharging steam and are ironed by the heat of the upper plate 6 of the boiler 1.

By closing the valve 12, the suits upon the upper plate 6, can be finished by the heat from the boiler only.

When the steam pressure in the boiler 1 is raised above the definite pressure required, the piston 24 having the piston rod 26, will be moved outwardly (to left in Fig. 3) by the steam pressure against the force of the spring 31. The left end of the piston rod 26 is engaged with a switch for the electric heating unit 2, so asvto open the circuit in which the said electric heating unit is arranged, whereby the steam pressure in the boiler is no longer raised and any accident which may be caused by the super-high pressure of steam is avoided.

It is to be understood that the construc- 40 tion and operation of the apparatus of the present invention may be modified without departing from the nature of this invention.

I claim 1. Steam ironing and finishing apparatus of the character described, comprising asteam generator having an upper plate constituting the lower member of an ironing and finishing press, an electric heating unit for heating said generator, a steam box constituting the upper member of an ironing and finishing press, and movable into and out of contact with the lower member, and a flexible pipe connecting said boiler and steam box, said upper member being perforated in its under side for the escape of steam.

2. A steam ironing and finishing apparatus according to claim 1, combined with a safety device, comprising a circuit controlling switch in the electrical circuit and a movable member operable by steam pressure in the boiler, and arranged and adapted to open said switch under excess of steam pressure.

KANICHI OTSUKA. 

